BY: Sir Godfrey Gregg

Day Nineteen: Gratitude and Hope

Scripture: Lamentations 3:21–24

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.'”

Reflection:

Jeremiah wrote these words in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction. He had witnessed horrors beyond imagination—the siege, the famine, the fall of the city, the exile of his people. Everything he loved was gone. Everything he had hoped for was shattered. And yet, in the midst of this devastation, he found hope.

Where did this hope come from? He “called to mind” the truth of God’s steadfast love. He remembered that God’s mercies never come to an end, that they are new every morning, that His faithfulness is great. He reminded himself that the Lord is his portion, and therefore he could hope in Him.

Gratitude and hope are intimately connected. When we remember God’s past faithfulness, we gain confidence in His future faithfulness. When we give thanks for what He has done, we build hope for what He will do. Gratitude is the fuel of hope.

Notice the phrase “new every morning.” This is the promise that sustains us. No matter how dark yesterday was, today brings new mercies. No matter how many times we have failed, today brings fresh grace. No matter how hopeless our situation seems, today brings new hope.

Jeremiah’s hope was not in improved circumstances. The city was still destroyed. The people were still in exile. The future was still uncertain. His hope was in God—the God whose love never ceases, whose mercies never end, whose faithfulness is great. This is the hope that sustains us in every season.

What “new mercies” have you received today? What evidences of God’s faithfulness can you see? Let gratitude build hope in your heart. Let the memory of His past goodness strengthen your confidence in His future goodness.

Journal: What “new mercies” have you received today? How does remembering God’s faithfulness build hope in your heart?

Practice: End your day by naming the new mercies you received. Let gratitude for today fuel hope for tomorrow.

Prayer: Faithful God, whose mercies are new every morning, I thank You for Your steadfast love and unending mercy. Help me to call these truths to mind when I am tempted to despair. Let gratitude build hope in my heart, and let hope sustain me through every season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.